


Lineage

by predilection



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Mystic Force
Genre: Adoption, Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-29 03:05:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1000129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/predilection/pseuds/predilection
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick deals with what it means to have finally found his biological parents.</p><p>(Companion piece to "Heir Apparent" parts 1 and 2.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lineage

**Author's Note:**

> This is the conversation I wish had happened after episodes 22 and 23 ("Heir Apparent" parts 1 and 2).
> 
> This fic is unbetaed so any mistakes are my own.

When Nick was eight years old, his parents had explained to him that he was adopted. When Nick had asked where his real parents were, his father had lifted Nick onto his lap. His mother had moved to sit at his father's side and then both his mother and father had hugged Nick tight. With tears in her eyes, his mother had told Nick, "We're right here, son."

His parents had found him as an infant and had no knowledge of where he'd come from. As Nick grew older, solving the mystery of his origin had become an obsession for him. He'd searched through every resource he could find for answers, but there were no clues to be found anywhere except for the red blanket he had been wrapped in. He'd known his parents were uncomfortable with his single-minded investigation, but they'd also accepted that it was something he felt he had to do and supported him any way they could. 

When Nick was seventeen, his mother had accepted a position at a university overseas. Nick had been given a choice: he could move across the ocean with his parents or he could stay in the States with his family. Nick had chosen to stay. He'd lived with his uncle, then with his cousins, and then moved to Briarwood.

It was in Briarwood that his entire life changed. He'd made real friends, became a power ranger, and saved the world more times than he could count. It was also in Briarwood that Nick had found answers, learned the truth about his birth and met his biological parents. 

The truth was nothing like Nick had ever expected, and there was nothing that could have prepared him for discovering that he was Bowen, the son of Udonna and Leanbow, two of the most powerful wizards in history.

The day after this revelation, Nick sat on a log outside of Rootcore. Part of him wanted to go inside so he could be as close to Udonna as possible, but another part of him wanted to run away from her and the truth she represented. 

That morning, Udonna had addressed him as "Bowen", and it had made him uncomfortable. His name was Nick. He'd been Nick for as long as he could remember and knew himself to be Nick. "Bowen" didn't feel like his name. To him, "Bowen" felt like someone he was not.

There was also the fact that Nick had been unable to think of Udonna as his mother. He loved Udonna. She was a kind and noble mentor, and even though Nick had spent most of his life looking for her, Nick already had a mother. His mother had cared for him when he was sick, and taught him to read, to cook and to ride a bike. She had patched up his knees when he fell out of the neighbour's tree when he was six years old, baked him a chocolate cake for his birthday every year and attended all his grade school recitals. He loved her greatly, and although he loved Udonna as well, his feelings for Udonna were not the same.

The dragon's mouth that served as the door to Rootcore opened and Daggeron emerged carrying a wooden sword, presumably to train in the forest. When he spotted Nick, he walked towards him. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, Nick. I thought you'd be working at the store this afternoon."

"Daggeron, can I talk to you about something?" Nick asked, surprising himself.

Daggeron nodded and sat down next to him. "What's on your mind?"

"My parents -- my adoptive parents... they're good people. They've always been there for me. They're my mom and dad. I know I should be grateful that I finally found my real parents, and I am, but it's... I spent so much of my life looking for my real parents, but now that I've found them, I'm having trouble even thinking of them as my parents."

Daggeron was silent for a moment. "Perhaps you should reconsider the word 'real'," he said at last.

"What do you mean?"

"You say that Udonna and Leanbow are your real parents, and there is no doubt in my mind that they are, but so too are the couple that raised you. They are your real parents as well."

"This is all so strange," Nick admitted.

Daggeron nodded in understanding. "Interventions of fate kept Udonna and Leanbow from raising you, and that does not invalidate their deep love for you as your parents. Your adoptive parents have cared for you for most of your life and you know them to be your parents. It is understandable that you feel conflicted."

Nick realized Daggeron was right. He'd spent so much time searching for his real parents that he hadn't truly realized that his adoptive parents had been with him the entire time. Nick felt a pang of guilt deep in his chest for taking them for granted. 

"But Udonna is also my mother," he said, working through his confusion aloud. "And Koragg -- Leanbow -- he's my father."

"Yes, but no one ever said that a person could only have one mother and one father. You happen to have been blessed with two mothers and two fathers." Nick took a moment to process this. He had never thought of it this way before.

"It's hard to think of Udonna as my mother," Nick confessed. "Well, it is and it isn't. Part of me knows she is, but another part of me doesn't believe it. I guess it's a lot to take in. But she's adjusted so quickly."

"She's been hoping to find you for a long time. You're her son and now she is overjoyed that you have been reunited. A great weight has been lifted from her heart."

Nick knew he should also feel overjoyed about finding her, but instead he felt... apprehensive. "She stopped calling me 'Nick'."

"To her, you are Bowen."

"Yeah, but to me, I'm Nick. Until yesterday, she thought of me as Nick. Between yesterday and today, I don't feel any different."

"Do you think you should feel different?"

"Yes," Nick answered automatically, and then quickly amended, "No. I don't know. I guess I always expected to feel relieved when I found my birth parents, but all I feel is confusion. She wants me to be Bowen, but I'm not him. I'm still Nick Russell."

Daggeron considered this for a moment before saying, "You are Bowen, Nick. Neither you nor Udonna knows what this means yet. The questions you're asking yourself are not ones anyone can answer for you. They are questions that will take time and deep soul-searching to answer, but I have faith that you will come to terms with who you are."

"But what about... Udonna?" Nick grimaced. He couldn't bring himself to call her his mother. 

Daggeron placed a comforting hand on Nick's shoulder. Daggeron didn't seem to mind that Nick was having difficulty accepting Udonna as his mother, and that made Nick feel less guilty about it. 

"At the moment, she is grateful to have her child back. She hasn't yet had the time to truly realize that you, Nick, are that child. She has spent years imagining what her son would be like. She too needs time to come to terms with who you are."

"How can you be so sure things will work out?" 

"You and Udonna are both wise and you both care deeply for each other. Things _will_ work out."

Daggeron had all but convinced him this was true, but Nick was still sceptical. "And what if they don't?" 

"They will, Nick. Trust me." He squeezed Nick's shoulder. "When was the last time you talked to your parents?"

With a start, Nick realized Daggeron was not asking about Udonna and Leanbow. "Uh. A couple of weeks ago. Why?"

"I do not wish to pressure you in any way, but perhaps you should talk to them."

Nick frowned, knowing Daggeron was right. "I think they've always been worried about me finding my birth parents. It's like they feared they would be replaced," he confessed uneasily.

"And will they be replaced?"

Nick didn't even have to think about his answer. "Of course not!"

"Then you can reassure them that they have nothing to fear," Daggeron pointed out.

Nick nodded and felt more of his anxiety ebb away. Then he chuckled. "How am I going to explain all of this to them?" he asked, gesturing to his cape and towards the entrance to Rootcore. "Just explaining that I found my birth parents would have been hard enough, but the whole magical-power-ranger thing is a little much."

"Then tell them only what you are comfortable revealing. Don't feel as if you must divulge everything to them at once. If you have been keeping your activities in Briarwood a secret from them, you must have had your reasons in the first place."

"I haven't wanted them to worry about me. And some days I find the truth so hard to believe myself that I'm not sure how I'm expected to convince anyone else that all this is real." Nick snorted. "You have to admit, it would sound a little strange."

Daggeron smiled. "Only a little." 

Nick laughed.

"You'll manage," Daggeron said confidently. He patted Nick on the thigh and then stood up and offered Nick his hand. "I was planning to train in the woods. I'll understand if you would prefer to be alone with your thoughts, but you're welcome to join me."

Nick still had a lot to think about, but he was feeling much less unsure about himself and he had Daggeron to thank for that. Nick also knew that sitting alone with only his thoughts for company wasn't going to help him find the answers he sought. Training seemed like a great idea. It would give him a chance to focus on other things and work off more of his anxiety. 

He took Daggeron's hand and brought himself to his feet. "I'd like that," he said, and followed Daggeron deeper into the forest.


End file.
